Studies on the standardization of ripening techniques for oranges
April 2012
Fruits of oranges cultivar’ free from any external and internal disorders harvested at physiological green mature stage were utilized for studying its ripening behavior. Initially, fruits were treated with Neem oil (1%). in order to break any pest attack and the treatments were given as foliar spray. Freshly harvested fruit were divided into different lots. The first lot of fruit was treated with ethylene gas as...
Estimation of haulage capacity and nest activity of different sizes of harvester ant (Messor galla forel) for major small grain cereals in Nigeria
April 2012
The experiment assessed the nest activity index, stock depletion rate and haulage capacity of the three ant worker-size categories as susceptibility indices of millet, sorghum, rice and wheat grains. Results of the study indicated significant (P<0.01) difference in all the assessed parameters among the test cereals, worker-ant sizes and their interaction. Millet grains were significantly more susceptible compared to...
Rural household livelihood strategies in drought-prone areas: The case of Gulomekeda District, Eastern Zone of Tigray National Regional State, Ethiopia
April 2012
Despite the continuing economic centrality of agriculture in the district, farm households engage and pursue diverse non-farm livelihood activities to cope with diverse challenges and risks such as drought. This paper aims to assess the relative importance of existing livelihood strategies adopted by the different socio-economic groups; the link between households’ ownership and access to different...
Identification and pathogenicity of phytopathogenic bacteria associated with soft rot disease of girasole tuber in Egypt
March 2012
Six bacterial isolates were isolated from naturally infected tubers of girasole plants (Helianthus tuberosus L.) cv. Balady showing soft rot collected from experimental Farm of Department of Horticulture, Faculty of Agriculture, in El-Minia University during 2010 and 2011 growing seasons. Pathogenicity tests showed various virulence for the isolated bacteria toward girasole tubers was found...
Production and sensory evaluation of food blends from maize-plantain-soybean as infant complementary food
March 2012
The study was conducted to produce and evaluate food blends from maize- plantain - soybean as infant complementary food. Treatments consist of diet formulated with toasted soya beans flour, ogi flour from yellow maize corn and firm ripe plantain was used for the production of the plantain flour. Six experimental diets were formulated from the above flours, to contain the following percentage ratios: OPBL1 - 50% maize,...
Storage and consumer acceptability of fruit: Ginger based drinks for combating micronutrient deficiency
March 2012
Fruits are good sources of micronutrients especially mineral and vitamin C. Ginger satisfies the function of color and flavour enhancers. Matured healthy pineapple, orange and paw-paw fruits were used to prepare pineapple-ginger, orange-ginger and paw-paw-ginger based drinks. The drinks were distributed into the same type of plastic container with lid (50-ml capacity filled up to about 45 ml). They were kept under...
Identification of compounds characterizing the aroma of oblate-peach fruit during storage by GC-MS
March 2012
Three analytical methods, including headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME), liquid–liquid extraction (LLE) and steam distillation extraction (SDE), were utilized to investigate the aroma profile characteristics of Xinjiang oblate-peach fruit during storage, and the characterizing compounds were detected by gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Silica fiber...
Storability of breadfruit and its hazard analysis in Nigeria
March 2012
Breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis) was dried using a multipurpose dryer (MPD) developed by researchers at Nigerian Stored Products Research Institute (NSPRI). Proximate composition of dehydrated flour and those stored for eight and twelve months was carried out. Moisture content was determined by air-oven method, while protein value was determined by Kjeldahl method. There were reductions in the moisture contents of...
Effect of Pseudomonas fluorescens on Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. gladioli causing corm rot disease of gladiolus
February 2012
A detailed study was conducted to find out the efficacy of Pseudomonas fluorescens on fusarial corm rot pathogen Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. gladioli in Department of Plant Protection, Allahabad Agricultural Institute Deemed-University, Allahabad. The strains of P. fluorescensisolates from gladiolus rhizosphere had significantly inhibited the growth of F. oxysporum f....
Efficacy of Trichoderma spp. against fusarial wilts of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.)
February 2012
Like other crops, chickpea is also attacked by various diseases and insect-pests, out of which fusarial wilt and pod borer of chickpea are most severe; there are many methods such as breeding and cultivation of resistant varieties, use of chemical fungicides and insecticides for management of fusarial wilt of chickpea. However, increasing use of chemical fungicides and insecticides in plant protection results in several...
Microbiological and physicochemical characterization of shea butter sold on Benin markets
February 2012
Shea butter, a fat from the nuts of shea tree, is of great nutritional and commercial value for local communities of Africa. The sanitary and physicochemical qualities of shea butter sold in Benin markets are unknown. This study assesses the quality characteristics of 54 samples of shea butter collected from eight markets in Benin, West Africa. Total germs, yeasts and mould varied with...
Causes of household food insecurity in Wolayta: Southern Ethiopia
February 2012
The objective of this paper is to examine the causes of food insecurity in Wolayta. This question is of interest since it has been argued that there is no problem of underdevelopment that can be more serious than food insecurity. The study showed that the majority of the rural households (74.2%) are food insecure. A binary logistic model is used to determine the factors, which influence...
The use of two indigenous medicinal plant leaf powders (Cymbopogon citratus and Ocimum suave) applied as mixed and individual powders to evaluate the reproductive fitness of F1 generation (eggs laid and F2 adult) of Callosobruchus maculatus (cowpea bruchid)
January 2012
It has been estimated that over 90% cowpea is lost to cowpea bruchids especiallyCallosobruchus maculatus. A mixture of plant containing Cymbopogon citratus (Lemon grass) (L) and Ocimum suave (Wild basil) (W) powders in the ratios (Lemon grass: Wild basil): 100:0, 80:20, 60:40, 50:50, 40:60, 20:80, 0:100 and 0:0 were used under ambient laboratory conditions with the aim of evaluating the effects...
Evaluation on the efficacy of spinosad dust against major storage insect pests
January 2012
Laboratory bioassay trials were conducted at the National Agricultural Research Laboratories and Kiboko sub-centre in Kenya to determine the efficacy of spinosad dust 0.125% admixed with shelled grains, compared to a “cocktail” of pirimiphos-methyl 1.6% and permethrin 0.3% (Actellic super dust) against four important storage-insect pests: Sitophilus zeamais (Motsch), Tribolium...
Inhibitive effects of Chrozophora obliqua (del.) juss. on germination and seedling growth of cultivated species
January 2012
The allelopathic influence of aqueous extracts of Chrozophora obliqua on the germination and seedling growth of Pennisetum typhoides (Bajra) have been determined. It was eminent that 10 g aqueous extracts of leaves and 48 h treatment present inhibitory effect on germination percentage, radical length and number of seminal roots and the cause was found significantly higher than that recorded in the...
Influence of different soil amendments on postharvest performance of tomato cv. power (Lycopersicon esculentum, Mill)
January 2012
The experiment was conducted to test the influence of different soil amendments types on postharvest performance of tomato fruits. The soil amendments were NPK 15-15-15 at 250kg/ha plus ‘Asasewura’ cocoa fertilizer (NPK 0-22-18 + 9CaO + 6s + 5MgO(s) at (250kg/ha), NPK 15-15-15 at 250kg/ha plus sulphate of ammonia (125kg/ha), poultry manure (1.1kg/ m²) and control (no amendment). Selected quality traits...
Women in post harvest management of food production in Nigeria
December 2011
Post harvest production management of food is arguably the most important aspect of the food production process besides harvesting, storage and preservation. Although women play a very important role in food production and post production food management, their efforts are largely unsupported and unaccounted for. This study reviewed women’s involvement in post harvest management of food in three local government...
Culinary and sensory characteristics of Hausa potato (Solenostemon rotundifolius) and Livingstone potato (Plectranthus esculentus) tubers in Nigeria
December 2011
Presently, there is dearth of scientifically published information on the sensory and culinary characteristics of Hausa potato (Solenostemon rotundifolius) and Livingstone potato (Plectranthus esculentus). Therefore, matured tubers of these crops, harvested at National Root Crops Research Institute, Umudike, Abia State, Nigeria, were used to determine their fresh and cooked tuber characteristics. Results of the...
Efficiency in the guava production of Zitacuaro Region, Michoacan, Mexico
December 2011
In the present research the efficiency of the production of guava in the region of Zitacuaro, Michoacan, Mexico, through data collected from 147 producers in twenty localities using ten reference variables was analyzed. Being that the aim was to identify the variables that affect in the efficiency of the production of guava as well as to determine which localities turn out to be efficient with respect to the used inputs...
Garlic physiological characteristics from harvest to sprouting in response to low temperature
December 2011
Garlic is a perennial vegetable crop which belongs to liliaceae family and propagated by bulbs. Garlic sprouting depends on air temperature and its storage period. This study was conducted to investigate physiological trait variations from sprouting to harvest of garlic cv. White Gorgan stored in low temperature (4°C). Toward this end, variations of chlorophyll, carotenoid, carbohydrates, as well as the...
Effect of rosemary extract on vase life and some qualitative characteristics of cut carnation flowers (Dianthus caryophyllus cv. ‘white librity’)
November 2011
The vase life of cut carnation (Dianthus caryophyllus) is short due to some post harvest problems leading to its low postharvest quality. Flower longevity is varied in different cultivars of cut carnation. But cause of short vase life was most reported to be loss of carbohydrate content or stem vessel blockage. Therefore in the current research effect of several antimicrobial compounds on postharvest life of...
Analysis of aggregate output supply response of selected food grains in Nigeria
November 2011
Food grains, which are major sources of energy and vital nutrients, are in short supply in many Nigerian households. Government, at various times, has embarked on importation of these food items to augment local supply. The main objective of this study was to examine the various determinants of the quantities of cereals (rice, maize, millet and sorghum) that are supplied into the Nigerian economy. Statistical...
Fracture resistance of palm kernel seed to compressive loading
November 2011
Quasi-static compression tests were carried out on treated single palm kernel seeds to study the effects of temperature, moisture content and loading position on the rupture force, deformation and toughness of the kernels. The levels of moisture content and temperature considered were 5, 7 and 10% w.b and 70, 90 and 110°C each at the horizontal and vertical loading position. Twenty palm kernel seeds were tested at...
Comparison of three methods of weight loss determination on maize stored in two farmer environments under natural infestation
November 2011
Common methods of weight loss assessment in stored grain include the standard volume weight (SVW), count and weigh (C&W), the thousand grain mass (TGM) and the indirect with a conversion factor (CF) which have been used in varying storage environments. Apart from accuracy and reliability, practical application may limit their use in rural areas. Three of the methods: (SVW) or bulk density (BD), C&W and CF were...
Physical properties of honey products in Algeria
October 2011
Honey is considered as the sweetened natural substance produced by mellifluous bees from the flowers nectar, plants parts or the insects excretions generally left on the same parts. Although Algeria possesses floral and climatic potentialities; it remains a small honey producer. Among analyzed samples,74% correspond to codex standards. This latter may increase if certain measures such as a national regulation including...
Application of oven drying method on moisture content of ungrounded and grounded (long and short) rice for storage
October 2011
This study was conducted on ungrounded, grounded, long and short rice grains to determine the moisture content for storage. The rice samples were dried in an oven at 105°C; in this regard every sample was divided in 6 parts with equal volume. The moisture contents were measured in six different ways such as 1st part with 1 h interval, 2nd with 2 h, 3rd with 4 h, 4th with 6 h, 5th with 12 h and 6th part after 24 h....
Phytochemical and mineral content of the leaves of four Sudanese Acacia species
October 2011
The phytochemical and mineral composition of Acacia nilotica, Acacia mellifera, Acacia albidaand Acacia radiana were investigated. Both freshly expended and older leaves of the plant species were used for the analysis. Averagely, the phytochemical constituent of the plants are as follows: Tannins (0.18 to 0.21 mg ml-1), phenols (0.03 to 1.01 mg ml-1), saponins (0.11 to 0.23 mg ml-1) and...
Rheological and sensory properties of four kinds of jams
October 2011
The rheological properties of four kinds of jams (Kewpie strawberry, Marmalade, Blueberry and ST. Dalfour) were determined by the rheometer of MCR101. It showed that all the jam samples belonged to non-Newtonian fluid model, with thixotropy and pseudoplastic. Three jams were fit for Herschel-Bulkley model, although yield stress existed in the samples at 25°C and was calculated as 25.07, 99.13 and 103.67 Pa for ST....
A study on the existence of Aspergillus in birds in the farms around Urmia-Iran
October 2011
Air, nutrition, soil and clinical materials pollution are the most important subjects that have been considered and studied around the world. Fungi of many kinds, especially saprophyte fungi, play important role in causing allergy. Saprophyte fungi are the reason for severe refunctions in those whom their job is seed selling, bird keeping, farmers and miller. Also, it is found on crops, skin and mucus of human. The...
Moisture contents, mouldiness, insect infestation and acceptability of market samples of dried ‘tatase’ pepper and tomato in Kano, Nigeria
September 2011
Triplicate samples of dried ‘tatase’ pepper and dried tomato in early and late storage periods were randomly obtained monthly from 2 major markets in Kano and analyzed for moisture contents, mould loads, insect infestation and consumer acceptability and relationships of parameters. Respective mean ± SD values of moisture for new and old stocks; 11.05±1.04% and 9.93±2.85%; and...
Effect of small-scale irrigation on the income of rural farm households: The case of Laelay Maichew District, Central Tigray, Ethiopia
September 2011
Agricultural intensification is presumed to be a necessary pre-condition for the development of the agricultural sector in Ethiopia. To this end, various government and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), among others, initiated small-scale irrigation schemes throughout the country including the Tigray region. Despite these efforts, however, smallholder farmers particularly in the study area are found to be reluctant...
The contribution of the genetic factors of potato lines to the Northern Area of Western Romania
September 2011
The creation of some potato genotypes with a high genetic homeostasis could confer a greater ecological plasticity with an increased resistance to the attack of the pathogen agents, such that notable performances concerning the main quality features represent the objectives reached in the potato breeding laboratory from ARDS of Suceava. Taking into consideration the area offered by the institution, the climatic...
Best fitted thin-layer re-wetting model for medium-grain rough rice
September 2011
Five commonly cited thin-layer rewetting models, that is, Diffusion, Page, Exponential, Approximate form of diffusion and Polynomial were compared for their ability to fit the experimental re-wetting data of medium grain of rough rice, based on the standard error of estimate (SEE) of the measured and simulated moisture contents. The comparison shows that the Diffusion and the Page models have almost the same ability to...
Development of trifoliate yam: Cocoyam composite flour for fufu production
September 2011
Trifoliate yam (Dioscorea dumetorum) tubers and two varieties of cocoyam (Nxs001 and Nxs003) were processed separately into flour and mixed at the following proportions: 100% trifoliate yam flour; 100% cocoyam flour; 85:15, 75:25, 25:75, and 50:50 cocoyam- trifoliate yam flour. The functional and pasting properties of the composite flours were determined. The trifoliate yam-cocoyam flours were then reconstituted, made...
The quality of maize stored using roof and sack storage methods in Katumba Ward, Rungwe District, Tanzania: Implications on household food security
September 2011
The quality of maize stored using sack and roof storage methods was studied by investigating the presence of Fusarium, Aspergillus and Penicillium infections using qualitative methods in 130 maize samples that were randomly collected from the roof and sack storage facilities in Katumba ward, Rungwe district, Tanzania. Levels of fumonisins, aflatoxins, ochratoxins and T-2 toxins were determined using quantitative methods...
Evaluation of price linkages within the supply chain of rice markets in Cross River State, Nigeria
August 2011
This paper evaluates price linkages within the supply chain of rice markets in Cross River State using weekly prices in three urban markets located in major rice producing areas of the State. The Johansen cointegration test indicated one cointegrating vector both at the 1 and 5% levels of significance. The results of the study indicate that the supply chain (farmgate-assembler-wholesaler-retailer) in Cross River is...
Analysis of goat production situation at Arsi Negele Woreda, Ethiopia
August 2011
The study was conducted at Arsi Negele District of Oromia Regional Administrative Zone with objectives of: (1) Assessing goat production situation of the area (2) identifying problems limiting goat production of the area, (3) Generating information for development practitioners working in the area to improve the situation. The sampled kebele were selected based on the potential of goat production and suitability of the...
Effects of temperature and period of blanching on the pasting and functional properties of plantain (Musa parasidiaca) flour
August 2011
The effect of temperature and period of blanching on the pasting and functional properties of the flour obtained from plantain (Musa AAB) blanched under three temperature regimes were studied. Plantain fruit fingers were washed, hand-peeled and manually sliced into cylindrical pieces of 2 mm thickness. Blanching was carried out on the sliced samples in hot water at 60, 80 and 100°C for varied periods of 5, 10...
Assessment of broad spectrum control potential of Eucalyptus citriodora oil against post harvest spoilage of Malus pumilo L.
August 2011
In vitro Eucalyptus citriodora Hook. oil showed potent bioactivity against dominant post harvest fungal pathogens. The minimum bioactive concentrations with fungicidal action of the oil was found to be 1.0 µl ml-1 for Alternaria alternata, Botrytis cinerea, Cladosporium cladosporioides, Colletotrichum capsici, Cyrtomium falcatum, Fusarium cerealis,Fusarium...
Comparison of repellency of essential oils against red flour beetle Tribolium castaneum Herbst (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae)
July 2011
Tribolium castaneum Herbst (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) is one of the most prevalent stored-product insect pests in Pakistan. It feed on those grains only, which have already been damaged by primary pest. To check the efficacy of different essential oil repellency behavior, Experiment was conducted in the Toxicology Laboratory, Department of Agricultural Entomology, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan,...
Hot water and chitosan treatment for the control of postharvest decay in sweet cherry (Prunus avium L.) cv. Napoleon (Napolyon)
July 2011
The effectiveness of chitosan and hot water treatments, alone or in combination, to control storage decay of sweet cherries, (Prunus avium L.) was investigated. In single treatments, chitosan was applied by postharvest dipping or preharvest spraying at 0.5 and 1.0% concentrations; hot water treatments at were applied for 5 and 10 min. Sweet cherries were kept in storage at and 98% relative humidity. Rot incidence...
Effect of vacuum tumbling time on physico-chemical, microbiological and sensory properties of chicken tikka
July 2011
Chicken tikka prepared by using vacuum tumbler (tumbling time 15, 30 and 45 mins) were stored at refrigerated temperature (4±1°C) and subjected to comparative studies on 0, 7 and 14 day. Product having more tumbling time showed significant (P<0.05) higher values for cooking yield, pH, moisture and ash%, lower values for cholesterol (mg/100 g), and protein%. The thio-barbituric acid (TBA) value (mg...
Effect of polythene packaging on the shelf life of mango fruits
July 2011
The effects of polythene packaging and washing were observed on fresh green unbruised wholesome mango fruits. Skin colour, weight changes, titratable acidity and the percentage of fruit that were spoiled were monitored. The samples were treated in four different ways: (i) washed and packaged in perforated polythene bags, (ii) unwashed and packaged, (iii) washed and unpackaged and (iv) the unwashed and unpackaged...
Toxicity and repellant potency of Hyptis spicigera extracts on Sitophilus zeamais motschulsky (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)
June 2011
Bush mint, Hyptis spicigera has been used traditionally as a cereal and legume protectant against storage insect pests. The objective of this study was to evaluate the toxic and repellant activity of H. spicigera extracts against Sitophilus zeamais, a major insect pest of stored cereal grains in the tropics. Essential oils and solvent extracts were tested against the maize weevil in fumigation,...
Quality assessment of vacuum packaged chicken snacks stored at room temperature
June 2011
Chicken snacks were prepared by utilizing spent hen meat, sodium caseinate and rice flour, spice mix, condiments, common salt, phosphate and baking powder. The control was prepared in a similar manner except that, spent hen meat was substituted by equal quantity of rice flour. Chicken snack and control were packaged under vacuum in laminated (polyethylene/aluminium foil) pouches (size 25 × 20 cm), stored at 30...
Physical properties of noodles enriched with whey protein concentrate (WPC) and skim milk powder (SMP)
June 2011
The physical properties of noodles enriched with skim milk powder, whey protein concentrate and a combination of skim milk powder and whey protein concentrate at 5, 7.5 and 10% levels were studied. Volume increase, weight increase and swelling ratio of the enriched noodles were reduced at increasing levels of substitution. Total solids loss in gruel showed increasing trend as the levels of substitution increased. It was...
Standardization of rapid and economical method for neutraceuticals extraction from algae
May 2011
Spirulina (cyanobacterium) posses a wide range of components useful in food and pharmaceutical industries. Pigments are intracellular compounds whose extraction involves cell disruption. Traditional extraction methods have several drawbacks like slow, time consuming utilize large quantity of solvents and less yield. So a systemic and economical approach was performed for maximum extraction of pigments using...
Sennoside contents in Senna (Cassia angustifolia Vahl.) as influenced by date of leaf picking, packaging material and storage period
May 2011
A field experiment was conducted in the Senna (Cassia angustifolia Vahl.) during the Rabi season of 2008 to 2009 in the Dusty Area of the Department of Crop and Herbal Physiology, Jawaharlal Nehru Krishi Vishwa Vidyalaya. The experiment was carried out in a complete randomized design asymmetrical factorial with three treatments and three replications. C. angustifolia leaves were picked at three different...
Dry matter and macro mineral dissapereance of selected grass in West Sumatra, Indonesia
May 2011
The experiment was carried out to determine macromineral disappearance of tropical grass in West Sumatra during rainy and dry seasons. The forages evaluated consisted of three species of grass (Axonopus compressus, Pennisetum purpureum and Brachiaria decumbens) collected at native pasture. The mineral solubility was determined by in situ nylon bag technique through incubating the forages samples in the rumen at 0, 24...
Nutritional changes in stored chickpea, Cicer arietinum in relation to bruchid damage
May 2011
Chemical composition of chickpea seeds treated with three plants extracts namely, Azadirachta indica (kernels), Allium satium (bulb) and Piper nigrum (seeds) after infestation with three pairs of cowpea weevil, Callosobruchus maculatus, had been evaluated after one month. The seeds were also taken for analysis of nutritional changes from culture infested with C. maculatus after one and six months of infection. An...
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